Here’s your New Year’s resolution, Jimmy.
You have to decide if you want to be a football player. Because here’s what I see:
I see a quarter that hurts too much, regardless of the excuses. You can no longer defend yourself on the field. And perhaps most importantly, if you throw a pick or turn the ball around, you just walk off the field and shrug your shoulders like, “Give, it’s not working.”
I know Nick Mullens cares. If he throws a pick or fiddles, you can see he wants to explode. I want to tell you, Jimmy, your facial expressions and your body language make it almost seem like you do not care.
Do you care?
Financially, you are ready for life. Do you want to pay the price to be in the NFL? Do you have the temperament to be a quarterback? Do you want to become a soccer player?
George Kittle wants to become a football player. That’s why the 49ers can’t keep him off the field. He insisted on returning and playing the last two games of a lost season because that is what he is doing. He plays football.
And the 49ers did not try to keep Kittle off the field. They are glad he can play. When a reporter, Kyle Shanahan, recently asked why he let Kittle return and risk serious injuries, Shanahan said, “That’s what these guys do, and if they’re healthy enough to do it, you do it in our team.”
Is that what you’re doing, Jimmy?
I have not yet seen you fight to come back, as you sprained a high ankle on November 1st. I saw you sitting in a suite making notes during a game, but I have not seen you play yet. Have you closed yourself?
Do you want to retire like Andrew Luck did?
Your New Year’s intention is to go deep into your soul and answer these questions.